Saturday, July 23, 2011

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Review: Audiovox DS9341 Portable DVD Player with Swivel Screen

As soon as I opened it up I was disappointed that I was unable to put batteries in it. I thought to myself that we will not use this at all if I need to be tethered to a power source. But very quickly, I realized it was rechargeable! I went from feeling immediate disappointment to outright admiration for the DS9341.

The unit is sleek and small. I would say it isn’t the smallest that you can buy, but for the price the DS9341 is plenty portable. The unit has a 9” display that is sharp and bright at a 640 x 234 resolution. The sound was crisp and the volume was more than adequate. Accompanying the portable DVD player is a headrest mount/carrying case, compact remote control, a pair of headphones and a headphone splitter, and an AC adapter.

I was able to put the DS9341 to the test on a long trip to Cape Cod with my three kids a few days after receiving it. The carrying case is high quality and protects the unit well, but attaching it to the back of my seat was an exercise in creativity. The case performs well as a case, but just mediocre as a holder in the car. In the end I did get it hold the DS9341 well, but it was a small chore.

In the car the screen was plenty bright enough even in direct sunlight. The volume from the built-in stereo speaker was loud enough for all three kids to hear it well at highway noise levels without using the headphones. Where the DS9341 really stands out, though, is its battery life. What initially was a source of contention turned out to be the polar opposite. The kids watched DVDs all the way to the Cape and back, nearly 4 hours, ON BATTERY POWER ALONE! Now that is impressive for any device with a back-lit 9” LCD screen and a spinning motor.

All in all the Audiovox DS9341 Portable DVD Player is of high quality and has great performance. I can easily recommend this DVD player with absolute certainty everybody would feel the same way. However I do want to point out a few issues that should be considered . . .

(Click any photo to enlarge)

First, the tiny remote does not have a power button, you must turn it off at the player. This was a decent sized issue on the highway with three young kids buckled into booster seats. I was able to reach around but it was less than ideal and probably dangerous. If I was unable to turn it off, I would have just left it on draining the batteries. The second issue is more of a notice than an issue. The screen can swivel from left to right, but NOT when it is in a flat position in the car. The unit could break very easily if this was not understood right away.

Even though the unit has a couple of imperfections, the Audiovox DS9341 is a great DVD player and I have no problem recommending it. To learn more about this product, visit AudiovoxProducts.com. Look for this portable DVD player wherever Audiovox electronics are sold.

Thank you to Audiovox for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.